2400 watts of light, your electric bill, wow. But ballast heat is a real problem, I do not have them in plant growing areas but do have them for coral tanks. Not that much wattage but they are Metal halide so it makes even more heat. Do you have a heat sink under the ballast? It will not lower the temps but will protect any wood that the ballast is mounted to from getting too hot and catching flame.

That's like saying: don't get a dog if you live an apartment because my Great Dane goes nuts in mine ! Try a beagle, you'll both be much happier. ;)

I have one 400W HID in my dining room and it adds little appreciable heat to the apartment. And if most of the heat is coming from your ballasts, not the lamps, you have really crappy ballasts and should replace them.

Got a 400w hps here and it's certainly not the ballast which gives out the most heat.

However, the hps does seem to raise the temperature by a good few degrees, but that's a good thing at this time of year, not a bad thing.

Hopefully be moving them back in in the next couple/few weeks.

RP1

Totally agree. I use 2 430 watt HPS and they heat the place up so much that I need to add outside air in the middle of winter to my basement grow room. I could easily have temps over a 100 degrees in there this month.

To me it isn;t the ballast but the lights themselves that generate so much heat.

Christian

Makes sense to me that it could be the lights. They are plenty hot. I thought it was the ballasts because the gap was at the top of the room, as the ballasts are. But heat rises, and closing off the room trapped it...

and RP, you're right, that heat will be plenty welcome from November thru February.

Speaking of heating the place up too much, the sun in the south window this time of year makes it stifling hot in my office. So I guess you don't need HIDs to get a room too hot, sun will do it, too.

I was about run out of my office by a 250 watt HID.

Luckily, the T-5 high output flourescents with 8 tubes, the equivalent to a 400 watt HIDs, put out very little heat, and don't cost that much more. And, you can get blue and red plant tubes for them so you are not wasting so much energy on wavelengths the plants can't use.

Ham, on my list for what to get the next time I can justify an expenditure for lights (many years from now, I fear) are T5's. I actually think they are beautiful.

Where are you all buying your bulbs??

Jane, we have a local Worm's Way here. They stock everything needed for hydroponic growing. I bought my HID light set up from them, and that's where I get the bulbs. They were very helpful in planning the set up (after I read up on it).

They also have T5's and a nice pulley system for pulling them up and down. They are very good looking.

Check their website, they may have a local store near you.